We Were Meant For More Than Fine

What if life isn’t mere existence, passing through each tick of the clock with pain, happiness, heartache, and momentary pleasures? What if we’re meant for far much more than “fine”?

This isn’t self-help, positive-speak bubble gum; this is about living wide awake. We were meant for so much more than “fine”. As time passes and the clock continues to tick, I am more convinced that we were created for more than we can imagine. Yet, we’ve grown cold, complacent, and consumed with the mundane. I’m not merely talking about careers, hobbies, or activities; I’m talking about a matter of living wide awake, intentionally making every decision in one moment to create a better future in the next.

What if we began to intentionally love the people we encounter each day? What if we dreamed of ways to create environments for imagination, healing, and true friendship? What if we were more interested in being rich in generosity instead of being rich in the accumulation of decaying material riches?

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” –Abraham Lincoln

One day at a time. Our lives and our vision aren’t created overnight; our future is created by the choices we make each day, with each passing moment. The future will look very different if we choose “fine” instead of “wide awake”.

Ask someone today how they’re doing and you’ll most likely hear, “I’m alright”, “Doing fine, thanks”, or “Living the dream”. That last one is hilarious, because it’s normally used sarcastically, basically saying, “My life didn’t turn out how I had hoped…In fact, it’s pretty blah. But hey, it is what it is. I might as well accept it.” Some people are actually living their dream, so it’s actually a very honest assessment. But for most, it’s not an honest reflection of the disillusionment of a life simply existing.

To repeat: this isn’t simply a matter of career or hobbies; this is about who we will become and why we spend our time the way we spend our time. We all have different motivations; sometimes we’re driven by greed and self-consumption, while at other times we are being driven by generosity and purpose. Which one reflects your life?

I’m not encouraging you to fake it, either. “I’m awesome! Everything is awesome!” No. That’s not what I’m suggesting. In fact, answering with, “I’m not doing OK, but I’m hoping for better days ahead” is a far better response than a fraudulent statement of bliss. Telling the truth is much more than being “fine”, because it is acknowledging the pain of the moment, all while imagining a better future. That is called “hope”.

I have discovered something incredible throughout my life: those who have been broken by life’s trials are often the ones with the greatest potential to live beyond “fine”, while those who have lived comfortably prefer remaining in a perpetual state of “fine”. And guess why? The heartbroken are more susceptible to see life for what it is: fragile, yet beautiful, hard, but of infinite worth. When you live wide awake, you begin to care about each moment, each breath, and each decision that will change the trajectory of your life for better or worse.

I’m not interested in being fine. I’m not interested in simply being alright. I want to live my life intentionally, spending each moment loving others in my daily life, falling deeper into the ocean of God’s grace, learning what it means to be generous, and reminding others of the eternal marks on their souls. I want to share the hope I’ve found with others who are desperately seeking it themselves.

Wouldn’t you rather live a meaningful life full of wonder, imagination, and love, instead of living a life just getting by? If you could live beyond “fine”, knowing that life is far more magical that we’ve believed, wouldn’t that change everything?

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Andrew Voigt is a writer and blogger discussing thoughts on God, dreams, and brokenness. He has served as a contributing writer for publications such as Patheos, Fathom Magazine, and Kingdom Spark. Andrew holds a B.S. in Communication Studies from Liberty University and lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and orange cat named Pumpkin.